Samsung shows off a 4K virtual reality display

Samsung was present at the Display Week conference in San Francisco, CA this week. Aside from its usual selection, there were a few VR specific displays. Most exciting, of course, is the prospect of 4K displays.

Samsung has showcased a selection of its next generation of displays at the SID Display Week conference in San Francisco, CA this week. One was a virtual reality-oriented 4K display at 5.5 inches, which is the first VR-focused display seen at one of these conferences.

4K resolution VR displays don’t exist yet. The highest resolution displays for VR on the market today come in the form of pocket-sized phones, as none of their commercially available desktop counterparts, such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, reach the same level of pixel density. This is not to discredit stationary solutions though, since with body and position tracking as well as custom solutions they can get rid of that horrendous “screen door effect.” Regardless, offering higher resolution displays for VR is a step toward eventually getting rid of the visible pixels in VR completely.

At this stage, the featured display is being demoed as a prototype. Some rumors suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will come equipped with a 4K display. But assuming this device is in its prototype stage, it doesn’t sound like it will be seen among retailers this fall when Samsung is expected to launch that device. Details are lacking as to what makes this particular display suitable for VR displays beyond what others can provide, so we’ll just have to sit and wait while Samsung does its thing.

In addition to the 4K display, two other screens show promise in the VR field as well. One of them is called “Bio Blue” and is designed to lessen potentially harmful blue light. Put in numbers, the new display is meant to emit only 6 percent blue light as opposed to the 32 percent often seen on modern AMOLED displays. There was also an early light-field display on the site as well. This type of display uses a technology that provides a realistic sense of depth in an image. Both of these technologies are meant to allow depth to be perceived more naturally, and thus be easier on the eyes.

Thus far there aren’t any detailed hardware specifications for these displays. The question of what technology will lead the way for VR is in no way set in stone, but for now a higher resolution display would likely be welcomed by everyone.